It’s Robin’s pick this week. And he’s picking a Best Picture nominee from 1995, “The Shawshank Redemption”. Though it lost out to “Forrest Gump” in nearly every category, the film is widely regarded as a masterpiece. But does this story of freedom and friendship hold up three decades later?

00:00:00 - Introduction & Chit-chat

00:19:53 - Movie Reveal

00:26:32 - Movie Discussion & Rating

Be sure to also catch Sam and Robin, as they compete against each other in "A Goofy Movie" trivia on The Reactorverse's YouTube Channel!

It’s Sam first pick of Oscars Month and his pick goes to… “1917”! Directed by Sam Mendes, “1917” was nominated for Best Picture in the 2020 awards, losing out to Bong Joon Ho’s “Parasite”. The two get into the feat of craft it took to bring this film together in its famous “oner” style and the effectiveness of the simple story.

00:00:00 - Introduction & Chit-chat

00:19:38 - Movie Reveal

00:27:25 - Movie Discussion & Rating

To kick off Oscar Month, Robin picks 2018’s Best Picture winner, “The Shape of Water”. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, who also took home the trophy for Best Director that year, the movie was largely loved by critics and audiences. But with this being his first time watching it, will Robin agree with this Best Picture winner?

00:00:00 - Introduction & Chit-chat

00:25:15 - Movie Reveal

00:30:49 - Movie Discussion & Rating

Sam picks a comedy that neither he or Robin have seen before. They’re watching 1995’s “Friday” and discussing the day in the life vibe of it, stand out jokes, and if they feel the humor aged well.

00:00:00 - Introduction & Chit-chat

00:16:46 - Movie Reveal

00:23:45 - Movie Discussion & Rating

Robin makes a rare choice by picking one of his favorite comedies, as he and Sam revisit 2023’s “The Blackening”. The two discuss their reactions to re-watching the film, what held up for them, and what they remembered differently. They also pay tribute to the late, great Catherine O’Hara before diving into the movie.

00:00:00 - Introduction & Chit-chat

00:33:28 - Movie Reveal

00:36:13 - Movie Discussion & Rating

This weekend is Valentine’s Day! DSo to get in the mood, Sam is showing Robin the rom-com genre parody film, “They Came Together”. The two talk about the meta humor of a rom-com poking fun at rom-coms and the insane amount of recognizable faces in the stacked cast.

00:00:00 - Intduction & Chit-chat

00:18:09 - Movie Reveal

00:24:34 - Movie Discussion & Rating

Robin wanted to celebrate the record breaking 16 Oscar nominations earned by “Sinners”, with a re-watch! With this movie making both his and Sam's top 10s for 2025, Sam has maintained that he might like it even more on a second viewing. Will his rating go up this time around? And will Robin still be as stoked on it after a third watch?

00:00:00 - Introduction & Chit-chat

00:30:12 - Movie Reveal

00:33:52 - Movie Discussion & Rating

Sam introduces Robin to another comedy with 2007’s Hot Rod, starring Andy Samberg. The two get into Andy Samberg’s career, highlight some jokes of the film, and as always, go off on tangents

00:00:00 - PSA from Sam

00:03:12 - Introduction & Chit-chat

00:20:41 - Movie Reveal

00:27:15 - Movie Discussion

01:27:35 - Movie Ratings